Tile-surfaced structural element



J. F. DQVEN TILE SURFACED STRUCTURAL ELEMENT Filed July 2s, 1951 HIIIUYIIH! Spt. 27, 1932.

Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNrI'uD STATES PATENT ossia JOSEPH F. DovEN, OF zANEsvILLE, OHIO, AssIGNoR To AMERICAN TILE FIXTURE COM- y EANY, ING., A CORPORATION OE oIIIO n TILE-SUREAGED STRUCTURAL ELEMENT y Application ined July 28,

n fOrced-c'ementitious material for soda fountain counters and the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to produce a tile-surfaced structural element of reinforced-cementitious material, for use in portable tile Vequipment such as soda fountain counters, which will have'anti-warping properties, wherebyf'tile units embedded in the surface of the cementitious material will be retained in proper position on the said sur'- face and the tendency which kaccompanies warpage to break the. bond between the tile units and the cementitious material is eliminated. 'A Y p With these and other objects in view the invention comprises the combination of members and arrangementof parts so combined as to co-act'and cooperate with each other in the performance ofthe functions and the. accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one 'of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a front elevation of a metallic angle-iron frame employed in making a tilesurfaced panel of cementitious material embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-,section Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing tensioning elements appliedv to angle bar frame members; V

Fig. 4 is a Vertical section of a panel after the cementitious material has'been pounded in a tensioned frame Aand tile units have been embedded insaid cementitious material;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary rear view showing two panels connected together.

Referring now to this drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my inn the line 2.-,-2 of 'vention,4 l indicates anV angledron frame for a structural element orA panel embodying a nori mally-warpable thin slab of cementitious material. The top andbottom members 3 and 3 and the side membersZ and 2 of the frame hav-e reinforcing wires 4 and 5 attached thereto and stretched across the fraln'eopening and each of said frame members 2, 2 and 3 and 3 1931. Serial No.7553,678.

are provided with a tensioning member 6 Vcomprising a metallic strip or steel latch which is fastened Vpreferably by electric arc Welding at its opposite ends 6 to the inner surface of the bottom .or base flangesof the A 6a through which an adjustable tensioning i screw 7 is threaded so that its point engages or impinges against the inner surface of said bottom flange to whi-ch the strip is attached. Obviously upon being screwed or rotated in the tapped hole 6a the said screw will cause `the central portion ofthe strip 6 to be gradually raised and tension tobe applied in accordance with the depth of the screw which is screwed through the tapped hole 6a.v By this operation, abowing tension, will be applied on the bars of the frame and this bowing ten-v sion may be employedfto offsetand counteract the tendency to warp that normally occurs when a relatively thin slab 8 of cementitious material, mounted in a frame ofthis type contracts. Iamthus enabled to provide a flatembedding surface to V.be produced on such slab for tile units V9, permitting the tile units to be retained in'properly embedded relation'- ship with the cementitious slab and avoiding or eliminating the tendency of the tile units to separate and peel olf, which ,happens in elements o-f this charac-terwhenthe backing slabY becomes warped. It will be seen, therefore, that by my .invention I counteract such tendency'to warpage as would'no-rmally occur and at all times present a flat unbo'wed and unwarped surface for the embedding and secure attachment of the tile units.

In thepreferred form of my invention, I proceed asfollows The steel angle-iron frame 1, whichis usually rectangular in lconformation is fabricated in any suitable manner and has fastened to the inner surface of each of the base or bottom anges at the sides 2 and 2 and top and bottom 3 and 3 of the frame the tension members hereinabove referred to. This is preferablyaccomplished by a superimposing on each of such flanges ofa metallic tension strip or steel lath and fastening this tension strip or steel lath at its opposite ends, preferably by electric arc welding, to the said iianges. The ends only of such strips are fastened so that the central portion of each of the strips will remain free and unattached to the iiange. This central portion of the strip is, as aforesaid, provided with a tapped hole into which is threaded a screw. The frame so provided with a tension strip in complete abutment with its flange is laid on a smoothl surfaced pouring table and securely fastened thereto in any suitable manner, such as by the use of clamps. When the frame has thus been securely fastened to the pouring table, tension is then applied between the metallic tension member andthe flange of the angle-iron memf bers of the frame by screwing ofthe screw through said tapped hole, as much tension preferably being applied as is possible. During this tension-applying operation the frame is held securely in abutment with the pouring table, and while the frame is' thus tensioned and held in flat `condition,the cementitious composition preferably comprising haydite and cement is poured into the frame. to a suitable depth. Thereafter the tile units are set or embeddedinto the top surface of the cementitious material in accordance with the design which it is desired to utilize in any particular construction element or in any particular structure of which such element is to now comprises the tensioned metallic frame,

'. the poured slab of cementitious material with tile units embedded in its upper surface is maintained in flat postion for a period lof approximately forty-eight hou-rs by *which time the slab and theunits and other parts of the said structural element will -have acquired suiiicient bond to permit the structura'lelenient to be released from the pouring table and to be moved into perpendicular position.

Under normal circumstances, the process of warpage would now start, but by the use ofmy tensioning members, I have been en.-

abled to offset or counteract the warpage` which would otherwise take. place and thus to eliminate suchwarpage in the structural element. Y v Y It is thought that when the cementitious slab of a structural element of this nature starts warping or bowing and the tile bond is broken, it is caused by the ti-le surface formed of tile units remaining constantwhile the portion formed of hardened cementitiousmaterial contracts, and by the use of my invention, the tension created through the tension,- ing ofthe tension strips or steel lath will cause a pull in the direction opposite to that in vwhich the contraction of the cementitious material would Vcause'the panel to warp.

' As many changes could -be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof; it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A y,constructional element embodying, in combination a flat relatively thin and normally-warpable slab of lcementiti'ous material, a reinforcing member embedded in said slab, and means for applying a bowing tension to said kreinforcing member to counteract thenormal warpage of said slab.

2. A constructional element embodying, in combination a flat, relativelythin and normally-warpable slabA of cementitious -material, a metallic reinforcing memberV embedded in said slab, and' means for applying a bowing tension to said metallic reinforo -ing member to counteractthenormal Warpage of said slab.

. 3. A constructional element embodying, in combination awarpable body composed of a flat, relatively thin. and'V normally-warpable slab of cementitious material, ya reinforcing member embedded in said slab comprising a metallic frame, and means for applying a bowing tension to said frame to counteract the normal warpage of said slab.

4. A tile-surfaced constructional element embodying, in combination a,iiat, relatively thi-n and normally-warpable s lab of-cementitious material, a metallic reinforcingv member embedded in said slab, tile units'em'bed- 1,00 dedy in one surface of saidslab and means for applying abowing tension tosaid metallic member to counteract the normal ywarpage of said slab# u f 5. A' tile-surfaced constructional element V1,05 embodying, in combination a fiat, relatively thin and normally-warpable slab of cementitious material, tile units embedded in one surface of said slab, metallic reinforcing member embedded in said slab comprising a 11.0 metallic frame and means for applying abowing tension to saidl frame' to counteract the normal warpageof said slab.

6. A tile-surfaced constructional element embodying,y in combination a relatively thin 11el and normally-warpable slab of' cementitious material, tile units embedded in one surface of said slab, metallicreinforcing member for said slab comprising a metallic frame composed of anglebars,metallic lathsfastened 12o at opposite 'ends to one of the fianges of said angle-bar frame and having its middle por'- tion free and means abutting between said flanges and the free middle portion of the lath to applyl tension on the said frame.

7. A tile-surfaced constructional element embodying, in combination a relatively thin and normally-warpable slab of cementitious material, the units embedded in one surface of said slab, metallic reinforcing member for 130 said slab comprising a metallic frame composed of angle-bars, metallic laths fastened at opposite ends to one of the flanges of said angle-bar frame and having its middle portion free and screws threaded in said middle portion of the laths and impinging against Isaid flanges of the frame for applying tension in said frame to counteract the normal warpage of said cementitious slab.

8. A method of producing construction elements of cementitious material comprising the fabricating of a metallic frame, applying thereto a tensioning member adapted to bow said frame, fastening of said frame to a fiat surface, applying a bowing tension by said tensioning member to said frame while so fastened and restrained from bowing and held in flat position, pouring a cementitious material into said tensioned and restrained frame to provide a slab of cementitious material, embedding tile units into the upper surface of said slab of cementitious material, retaining said frame and cementitious slab with the tile units embedded therein for a predetermined period of time to permit bonding between said parts, and subsequently releasing said construction element from said flat surface.

In witness whereof, I have signed my name to the foregoing specification.

J. F. BOVEN. 

